Finding Her Place, Saving Their Lives
by Beautiful Secrets
Summary: It's 3 years later, & Helena still misses him. He misses her. When he has a chance to get to her, & takes it, what happens in the MirrorRealm, & what will happen in the Earthen Realm?
1. Chapter I: Three Years Later

_**A/N:**__I do not own Mirrormask, Valentine, Helena, or any of the other characters in this story, but the idea behind it is one I came up with. I don't remember when, but I know it was after I saw the movie._

_**Side note**__ – fantastic movie! There need to be more Mirrormask Fanfic's out there. silly grin_

_Anyway, first fanfic I've started writing in a while, so I hope ya'll like it. _

_Btw – I'm aware that, at the end of the movie, Helena bumped into 'Valentine' at the circus, though we're left to wonder if it was him, or his London counterpart. However, in __**this**__ story, I backed it up so she went home – yes – but did not bump into him at the circus. So…kindly, don't point that out. smiley face_

**--**

**Chapter 1**

_Three years…_

Helena shook her head, shaking away the memories, and tugged her cloak off her shoulders, scurrying into the Ring with her father. She moved her eyes from side to side, looking through the holes in the mask she wore at the audience, who sat, smiling, and waiting patiently. There wasn't anything she loved more than wearing that mask, except maybe if…

Another shake of her head, and Helena glanced towards her father, eyebrow raised. They silently showed themselves to the audience, holding up their props, before Helena turned to face her father, and tossed one of the bowling pins into the air, following with another, and another, and catching the medium-sized, multi-colored balls he tossed towards her. The two began juggling the items back and forth, going on to the cheering of the crowd around them. The smile on her lips was that of enjoyment, but for the first time in at least a few weeks, there was a hint of sadness behind it.

Exiting the tent and heading for her trailer to change out of her performance clothes, Helena stared down at her feet, her cheeks rosy pink as she moved. She recalled the night her mother collapsed, a few years earlier, when she'd been in the trailer playing puppet master with her feet. It wasn't the fact that it was her feet and her silliness that made her smile – it was the fact that she'd named one of her feet with his name. She hadn't known him at the time, but now that she did, it meant more to her.

"Helena!" She was startled by the voice, but she turned around, pushing a smile to her father.

"Yes, da?" she asked, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. He caught up to her, removing his top hat and tapped it onto her head, making her laugh. A smile spread across his lips, and he nodded.

"You seem a little un-you tonight. Is everything alright?" he asked, hooking an arm around her shoulders and giving her a squeeze. Nodding, Helena glanced towards the trailer.

"It's all fine. Just a bit…tired, I think. I'm going to change and head home, okay?" she asked, looking up at him from under the brim of his hat. He chuckled, and nodded, taking his hat back.

"That's fine, dear – you rest tonight. We'll see you in the morning," Morris replied, pressing a soft kiss on her forehead before returning to the tent, and the rest of the performers. Sighing, Helena turned her back to her father. She couldn't tell him about it – her parents would think her insane, no matter how much they loved her. With a shrug, she climbed into the trailer, and locked the door, changing into her everyday clothes, before heading back to their flat.

She poked her around the corner from the hallway, waving to her Nana in the living room, before continuing to her bedroom down the hall. Closing the door and turning on the light, Helena paused, looking around her at the drawings upon the walls. Years before, they'd been destroyed, torn apart by a very angry, anti-Helena. She lowered her gaze to the floor, remembering it very vividly, before shaking the thought of it away, and looking towards her window. A smile curled on her lips when she laid eyes upon an image of man she had drawn, again, to keep _his_ memory alive. Sighing, she changed to her pajamas, shut off the light, and climbed into bed, keeping his thought on her mind until she was drifted off.

**--**

Up. Down. Up. Down. Under. Up. Down. Behind.

Valentine juggled three flashing multi-colored balls, under his leg, behind his back, and up into the air, as he stood in the middle of one of the hallways of Tower. Swinging his leg up, he chucked the ball a little too hard beneath his leg, and watched it ricochet off the wall, and out the window. He breathed out a small groan, and threw the other two balls into the corner, walking towards the window to see how far it would go. Hearing a small _tsk_, he tilted his head.

"What is it, Tower?"

"Well…" the soft voice began, "perhaps you shouldn't take out your frustrations on those things. It won't solve any of your problems." Valentine turned around, looking towards the ceiling. Tower was right, but this was Valentine – that wasn't something he ever admitted. With a shake of his head, he looked back out the window and watched the flickering ball disappear amidst the trees. Heaving a sigh, Valentine pointed his hand out of his too-large white robe.

"Can ya just land us there? I'm not going to try and get a new one…again…" he mumbled, feeling his cheeks redden beneath his mask. A soft sigh emitted from Tower, but it landed on the ground anyways, opening the door for him to exit from.

"Just be careful with your anger, Valentine…" he heard it say, as he jogged down the steps and went after the ball.

Slipping through the trees, Valentine looked around him, peering through the small holes of his mask, in hopes of seeing the colored ball in the dark woods. He stumbled after a few steps, and tilted his head to the side. Several feet away laid his ball, but it was near a snake-like creature, which wasn't looking, but was hissing softly in the opposite direction. Cautiously, Valentine tip-toed towards it, squatting down and reaching for the ball. As his fingers neared it, the snake spun, hissed louder, and wrapped its body about the ball, slithering away.

"Hey! That's not yours!" Valentine called, scrambling to his feet and running after the rather quick snake. Stumbling over some branches here and there, Valentine finally tripped and landed upon his knees, just as the snake slithered beneath the ground, into a small hole, which he assumed it had come from. Sighing, Valentine rolled up his sleeve, and dug his right hand into the hole, biting hard upon his lip in hopes that the snake didn't bite. After feeling around for a minute, Valentine jumped in surprise, but when he yanked his hand back, he was grasping a small object that was wrapped it silk. Frowning, and looking around, Valentine laid it upon the dirt, and unfolded the material, scooting back a little as it fell open, revealing the shiny reflective surface of a Mirrormask.


	2. Chapter II: The ShadowMask

Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Valentine looked at the Mask upon the ground, rather surprised. He hadn't seen the MirrorMask since Helena used it to trade places with the Princess, three years before. He shook his head.

"It can't be…" he mumbled to himself, confused, before looking around quickly, wrapping it back up, and tugging it into his robes, hurrying back to Tower.

As he moved up the steps, he heard Tower sigh.

"Did you eat another future fruit and see that you'd be a waiter?" Tower asked, a bit sarcastically. Valentine stopped, and looked up.

"I don't appreciate that – no, I didn't. Could…you take me to see the Librarian, Tower? Please?" he asked, raising his hands a little in a plea. Tower hesitated, but lifted off the ground, heading towards the Library, where Valentine and Helena had found _A Really Useful Book. _Giving a sharp nod, Valentine waited at the window, watching it come into sight. "Thank you, Tower," he replied, before opening the door as they touched ground, and climbed down the steps. As he disappeared into the building, Tower sighed again.

"You won't find her there…"

Valentine peered around the library, in hopes of seeing the Librarian, the only person he figured could help him out, but when he spotted the mis-matched man in an aisle with another patron, Valentine shrugged his shoulders beneath his large white coat, and began to search for himself. He passed several shelves of books, none looking as though they could help him. After several moments, and far too many book shelves, Valentine jumped, spinning to look upon what cracked him in the skull. A smile appeared on his face as _Another Really Useful Book_ fluttered in front of him.

"Well, if your anything like another little bugger I once knew, I could definitely use you!" Reaching up, Valentine took hold of the book, flipping it open. The page he landed on read, in perfected script, _Visit the Queen._ Frowning, he shrugged. "…Hm…not sure how that could he-…" He paused, and looked at the book, then patted his robe where the mask was hidden. "The Queen…perhaps you will be useful, after all," he smirked, keeping his hand on the book and exiting the library.

--

Helena sat upon her bed, looking across the walls of her room, at the pictures she'd drawn & re-drawn. Sighing a little, she stood up, and tugged at her jacket, moving down the hall and towards the living room.

"Mum? Dad? I'm going to head to the Shop…I'm out of drawing paper," she said, and chuckled when both her parents nodded, looking at her in exhaustion, as Nana rambled on about yet another endless story – one that wasn't even true. Glad she had a reason to get out, Helena slid into her shoes, checked her pockets for her money, and pushed her hands into the pockets of her jacket, walking briskly through the cool air towards the Art Shop.

--

Valentine stood in the hall, awaiting the Prime Minister's arrival. He hadn't really felt the _need_ to disturb the Queen – Valentine didn't plan on actually saying what he'd found.

The Prime Minister pulled open one of the doors, and smiled, walking towards the juggler.

"Well, Valentine. It's been quite a while since you've stopped by – what warrants this visit?" he asked, extending his hand and shaking Valentine's briskly. Valentine gave a smile, hoping not to reveal anything, and shrugged his shoulders.

"Curiosity, sir," he replied. "Whatever happened to the MirrorMask, do you know?" he asked. The Prime Minister's smile faded a bit, and Valentine began to question if it had been wise to listen to that book.

"It crossed over the Realms, when Helena returned home…why do you ask?" Valentine thought, and sighed.

"Well…I might have found…" He didn't have much choice, if he were going to ask about a second mask – the Prime Minister would have to know…at least a little. "I thought there was only one of the masks…but I think I've come across a _second_ one," the masked man replied. Valentine watched the Prime Minister's eyes widen, as he stepped back in surprise.

"The _second_ mask?" he repeated. Apparently he knew what Valentine was talking about. "Tell you me didn't move it…"

"Why?" A sigh was heaved, and the Prime Minister looked down.

"At the creation of this world, at the creation of the City of Light and the Land of Dark, two masks were created – the MirrorMask of our city, our charm; and the ShadowMask, of the Land of Dark," he explained. Though his face was covered by the mask, the Prime Minister was aware of Valentine's confusion, and led him down the hallway towards the palace's Library.

The doors creaked open, and the Prime Minister pointed Valentine towards a book that was already opened upon a podium. Stepping over and leaning in to see it, Valentine listened as the Minister continued.

"The MirrorMask was our Charm, the only thing keeping our land as strong as it is, and keeping the Queen as beautiful and…well, awake, as _she_ is. The ShadowMask, however, was _their_ charm, created to match the power of the MirrorMask in keeping them as strong as they were, and the Queen as powerful as she was. When we locked away our Charm, we made sure to hide their charm, which had been taken from them by our Army…it was hidden somewhere, known only to one soldier who has since…been taken care of," he replied, raising a brow behind his mask. _Killed…_ Valentine thought, before looking back to the book. "Their ability is generally the same…however…while the MirrorMask was able to transfer any one of us from here to Helena's world, in place of our – shall I say – alter ego's, the ShadowMask does not need an alter ego to trade us in to…and it can only send us out…it cannot bring us home…" Valentine lifted his head, and nodded slowly.

"…It…will be good to hear…then…that I didn't…move that mask," Valentine said slowly, wondering if the Minister would believe him. There was a moment of silence, as the Minister examined Valentine's face, before nodding and motioning towards the door.

"It is good to hear, young Valentine…" Walking towards the door, Valentine nodded his head slowly.

"I should go, though…promised Tower to a word puzzle," he chuckled, shaking his head lightly. The Minister smiled, and walked Valentine out.

Valentine climbed into Tower, closing the door and leaning against the wall until they were up in the air once more. A few moments later, he walked across the floor, and up a few flights of steps, opening up one of the hall tables and removing the silk that held the ShadowMask.

"You lied to the Prime Minister…" Tower said softly. Valentine looked up.

"I did not…I just didn't tell him the whole truth," he replied with a smirk. A sigh, and Valentine shook his head. "Don't get upset with me – its not like I don't know what I'm doing." Removing the mask, Valentine examined it, turning it over and over in his hands. Walking towards one of the windows, he peeked through it, and felt the smile spread across his face – he could see Helena on the other side, on the roof of her building.

"Valentine…are you sure that you want to d-"

"Of course I am. I'm Valentine – we're stubborn with what we want," he smirked, holding to the mask. He looked down at it, and smiled fully.

--

Helena sat on the edge of the room, across from the door Valentine was peering through, and sighed, looking behind her at the skyline. So many memories on that roof – she found out her mom could die, with or without surgery; she heard her father get the call that her mom had made it through; and she pulled the Princess back through to the Mirror Realm, abandoning Valentine without even a good-bye. That one was harder than the rest, though she felt so guilty that it was like that. Sighing softly, she pushed herself to her feet, and watched the ground as she shuffled to the door, tugging it open and walking back inside.

She passed the living room, waving gently to her parents, as Nana had fallen asleep in her chair, before going into her room, shutting the door, and collapsing to the bed. Smiling, she dug into her bag, and began to draw yet another image of Valentine – the only person she couldn't stop thinking of since she'd come home.

--

Valentine examined the mask in his hands, and gave a very small smile when he thought of what would happen when he put it on. He'd get to see her again – a good thing that outweighed the idea of him being a waiter.

Turning his head, he looked around Tower.

"You be careful…and don't go crashing into things just to get me to come back," he jokingly lectured, wagging a finger. A chuckle emitted from the walls, and Valentine smiled.

"Just go…I'll be fine." With a nod, he turned back, placed the ShadowMask over his own mask, and peered out the window, a smile spread across his face. He felt a sharp tug against his arms, and watched through the eyes of both masks as the world outside the window, and that inside the window, melted together, and swirled into a mesh of color and light. He flinched lightly, as the light got brighter, before he was thrust forward, as if being tossed through the window, cried out, stumbling into the ledge on the roof. Standing up sharply, Valentine yanked the mask from his face, and spun around, wide-eyed. He found himself staring at the door, and as he turned, he saw the skyline. A large grin spread across his face, and he held his hands up, keeping a tight grasp upon the mask.

"I'M HERE!!" he exclaimed, laughing, staring up at the sky.


	3. Chapter III: Meet Val

Author's Note:

**Author's Note:**Thank you for wanting this next chapter, you guys. And for being patient with me for not putting it up sooner.

And I know Tower sighed a lot, but since Tower has no arms or a face, and can't make expressions, sighing was the best I could. Tehe.

Hope you enjoy!

--

**Chapter 3**

Helena leaned on her bed, looking at her walls and sighed, walking towards one of the pieces of paper that she'd taped to the room. Looking it over a couple more times, she added a few lines, and a couple more images, to the pages, before setting the pencil on her desk, and walking out of the room.

As she entered the hallway, she saw her father walk out the front door, and frowned, turning into the kitchen. Her mother stood at the sink, pouring herself a glass of water.

"Mum? Where'd dad go?" she asked. Joanne looked up from the sink, and flipped the faucet off, smiling.

"We heard a noise up on the roof, so he went up to see if someone needed help." Helena turned her head, and looked towards the hallway.

"Maybe I should go up, too…Da shouldn't be up there alone if we don't know who's up there," she pointed out, glancing at her mom. Joanne thought about it for a second, and frowned.

"You're probably right, Helena," she said slowly, and Helena kissed her mom on the cheek, turning and scooting quickly down the hallway, and out the front door.

--

Valentine leaned over the railing, peering down at the streets below, and laughed more.

"I'm actually _here_, I can't believe it!" he said, before tilting his head, looking around, and frowning. "Where the hell is Here?" he suddenly realized, putting his hands on his hips. He looked around the rooftop, then turned to see the ground, unsure. Behind him the handle the door turned, and the door itself creaked open as Morris stepped outside.

"Excuse me? Are alright?" Valentine turned around, a little surprised, but smiled at Morris.

"I'm fantastic! Where am I?" he asked. Morris smiled a little, though confusion showed on his face, and he shrugged.

"Well…your on the rooftop of my building, in London. Did you think you were elsewhere?" Valentine shook his head quickly.

"No, not at all – just needed to be sure!" He turned back away from Morris, and looked down at the ground, smiling brightly. Morris raised an eyebrow, confused.

"What's your name?" he asked, stepping forward again. Valentine looked up, and thought for a moment. He remembered back, to when he first met Helena, and he thought how strange her name was, and knew that, in this world, his name would be considered too strange. Thinking fast, he turned to see Morris.

"V-Val…my name is Val N. Tine…" he replied, with a slight wave. Morris smiled, and stepped over once more, extending his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Val. I'm Morris Campbell…" Morris turned his head as the door opened, and Helena stepped out cautiously, pushing her hair behind her ears.

"Da? Is everything okay?" she asked hesitantly, peeking around. Morris turned around, releasing Val's hand, and nodded.

"Of course, Helena. Come over here, I want to you meet Val." Helena looked up at Val, and gave a small smile.

"Nice to meet you Val…I'm Helena," she said slowly. As she extended her hand, she looked into his eyes, and cocked her brow. Something about his eyes were familiar, but she couldn't place it.

"Helena…" Val repeated. She perked her ears – that voice was _very_ familiar, but she wasn't able to recall why. Morris smiled, and glanced at his watch.

"Well, Val…If you aren't busy or don't have plans, would you like to join us for dinner?" he offered, motioning to the door. Val smiled.

"Sounds great – I'm famished," he replied, with a nod.

Dinner went off without a hitch, and the family got to know Val as he came up with one bit of information about his life after another, trying to keep things as straight and "normal" for Helena's world as possible. He recalled bits of things that she found out while with him in the Mirror Realm, which she stated as being odd, and made sure to word things to make them sound as natural as possible.

As he spoke, Helena found herself intrigued with what he said. Everything he said, it all sounded familiar, but she just couldn't come to think the thought – this _was_ her Valentine. It was impossible…wasn't it? The Mirrormask was in the care of the Queen…or so she believed. She had tried not to think on it much.

Once the meal was over, and the table cleared, Morris looked at Helena.

"Your mother and I will do the dishes, Helena, but only if you go do some practicing for the show tomorrow night…why don't you show Val some of your tricks?" he asked, raising a brow. Helena smiled, and nodded her head.

"I'd love to…we can go up to the roof – its easier to do it without breakables around." Morris laughed, and nodded.

"That's a good idea, dear. Val? If you want to follow Helena, she can show you some of her juggling act," he said, with a laugh. Val smiled, excited, and followed Helena up to the roof. She held the juggling balls in her hand, and led him to the roof, smiling.

"Can you juggle at all, Val?" she asked, opening the door to the roof and stepping out, holding it for him. Val took the door, and stepped after her, shrugging a little bit.

"I'm not too shabby, if I do say so myself," he replied with a smirk.

Helena turned her head, to see him, before taking a stance on the roof, and tossing one of the balls towards him, smirking as he caught it.

"Let's see how you are."

The balls flew through the air, and Helena watched as they both did rather well catching and returning each ball. Several moments passed as they juggled between themselves, before Val let one of the balls slip through his fingers, and hit the rooftop, bouncing from his feet to hers. She caught the other balls, and tilted her head down to see the ball. Lifting a foot, she stopped it beneath her toes, and smirked.

"Butterfinge-" She stopped, and dropped the two balls in her hands, lifting her head up once more to see him. "…w-what's your full name?" she asked softly.

Val looked at her, straight-faced for a moment – the longest moment of his life – before a smile crossed his lips. Holding open his hands, he shrugged a little.

"Val..en…tine…" he said softly. Her eyes went wide, and she covered her mouth with both hands, squealing softly before racing over to him and throwing her arms about his neck.

"Valentine!!" A laugh passed his lips, and he threw his arms around her, hugging her tightly to him.

--

**A/N: **I know there's a lot of dialogue in this chapter, but the next one will hopefully be better./ Thanks! 


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